


Coming Storm

by crochet_tier, FairyThoughtless



Series: Traitor by Choice [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Blood and Injury, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24060961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crochet_tier/pseuds/crochet_tier, https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyThoughtless/pseuds/FairyThoughtless
Summary: The torches would be lit soon, the sun dipping low and spilling orange over the rocks overhead. A brief breeze from lower in the valley mixed dust and iron with the smell of warm spices from the complex behind them. He could hear the distant buzzing of a darner, interrupted by the soft scrape as Hirei scratched absentmindedly at some blemish left on his mask.“Seemed like a bad idea to have a concussed kid help with something so important.”He drew in a breath, waiting until he could no longer feel the grind of his teeth quite so hard before he let it out again.“You’ll leave in the morning, then.”
Series: Traitor by Choice [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735837
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	Coming Storm

“And you got this _approved_ , somehow.”

Hirei waved the question away as though it was too _simplistic_ to answer, mask hanging loosely from his off hand, leaning against the shaded wall of the primary entrance a few feet behind Duin and picking at loose, singed threads still sticking out of the recent patch job on his armor.

The torches would be lit soon, the sun dipping low and spilling orange over the rocks overhead. A brief breeze from lower in the valley mixed dust and iron with the smell of warm spices from the complex behind them. He could hear the distant buzzing of a darner, interrupted by the soft scrape as Hirei scratched absentmindedly at some blemish left on his mask.

“Seemed like a bad idea to have a concussed kid help with something so important.”

Of course.

“And this has nothing to do with the fact it was meant to be-”

  
  
“Nope.”

Duin’s jaw tightened, resisting the urge to turn a disapproving look on the soldier. If the incident itself hadn’t convinced him, if the past 17 _years_ hadn’t convinced him, there would be nothing Duin could do short of physically dragging the man from the complex that would be able to get through his irritatingly thick skull.

He drew in a breath, waiting until he could no longer feel the grind of his teeth quite so hard before he let it out again. There was no blaming Hirei for his fear of- his _loyalty to_ the Elders being greater than whatever idiotic form of bravery this was.

“You’ll leave in the morning, then.”

There was a huff from behind him, the sounds of him pushing off the wall and stepping closer instead, before Duin felt an elbow press on his shoulder. The angle was awkward, the height difference between them making Duin sag his shoulder for it to actually rest there rather than simply be present, finally sighing and looking down at the other. “Promise you’ll see me off, yeah?”

Duin pursed his lips behind his mask, rolling his eyes.

As if he would be anywhere else.

“Of course.”

* * *

He could smell rain in the distance, a late spring storm rolling in slowly from the northeast, dark clouds already covering what little of the sky was visible from his station.

It would be a hard one, if the way the wind rushed over the mouth of the valley was anything to go by, pennants clacking together overhead and the veils of the statues billowing every time a gust found its way down into the entrance.

If that _damned_ suspension bridge went out again…

There was a shuffling at his side, Hirei ducking out slightly from the cover to stare up at the imposing clouds, face hidden by the arm pushing his mask up. Bored, Duin would think, if it weren’t for the way he kept shifting on his feet. Anxious to get going, maybe.

Nervous, more likely.

At least he wasn’t the one holding up his group’s departure, for once.

“Think I’ll actually get to leave before the rain starts?”

Duin sighed, adjusting the grip on his sword to instead beckon over his friend, ignoring the offended sputter when he pulled the mask down to its proper position, batting away the hand that tried to push it up again. Sufficiently distracted, Hirei _glared_ up at him, flyaway hairs sticking up where the mask had been shoved into his hair.

Were it anyone else, he would quash the laughter building in his chest, may even send them off to find out _what_ was taking so long, but with him he could let his shoulders shake with it, hand flat against his chest and chin up when the playful shove came, the laughter only growing. Ah, he would need to lift his own mask after that.

“A little water isn’t going to cause any issues.” He finally managed, settling into his proper stance again even as Hirei grumbled and attempted to tame his hair.

“It will make me _damp_ , Duin.” The pout was audible, a fist coming out to thump lightly against his arm in complaint. He let himself sway with what little force there was, pressing into it on the backswing, appreciating the huff of amusement he was met with.

They settled back into a comfortable silence, staring out into the valley as they waited, Hirei deciding to make himself a comfortable weight at Duin’s side.

Company was nice, once in a while.

It was another thirty minutes of waiting, during which they placed bets on how many of the frogs’ veils would be blown away in the coming storm, sharing a look when a darner perched itself on the end of Duin’s blade, watching dejectedly as it flew away as Lila swooped down into the hall.

Her pack thumped against the floor as she rifled through the spare arrows, shoving sheaves of them into it silently, as though she didn’t already carry enough at any given time to take out a Guardian single handedly.

Strange.

Finally the rifling stopped, replaced instead by shuffling followed a brief _slap_ as Lila, apparently, threw her arms up in annoyance. “Are we _going_ or not?”

A beat of silence, as he and Hirei shared a look, more questioning this time, before Duin finally turned to her. Another last minute change…

“You’re _late_.” Hirei had pushed himself off of Duin’s side, stooping down to grab his pack from where it had been abandoned more than an hour ago, the warmth already dissipating from where he’d been. “Where is Kish?” Lila had the nerve to huff, as though _she_ was the one who’d arrived on time.

Damn kid.

She pushed between them, stopping at the first set of frogs to stare over her shoulder at them impatiently. “The Commander thought _I_ would be a better fit for this, and he had some _very important_ information for me.” She crossed her arms. “Now _come on_ , old man.”

Duin bristled all but visibly, not missing the way Hirei tensed until she finally turned away. She had always been a particular sort, had had an eye for small details, but for the Commander’s favor to go to her head so quickly...

No matter. They should have been miles away already.

Regardless of how uneasy the replacement made him.

He turned as Hirei approached again, leaning down to briefly press their masks together where their foreheads would be. Good luck, it was said, or maybe well wishes would be more appropriate. Duin nodded as he straightened again, Hirei’s arm lifted in a lazy wave as he stepped out to join her.

“I’ll bring you something.”

  
  
“Please, do not.”

It was met with a laugh, short and sharp, as they walked further into the valley, a brief _fizz_ and _pop_ as they vanished to their designated path.

Thunder rolled quiet in the distance. He tensed, the hairs on his neck rising as a wolf howled somewhere up in the highlands, followed by a second, and finally a third as the thunder dissipated.

A bad omen…

Hopefully only for whatever prey they’d found.

* * *

An unseasonal chill had settled into the valley, pulled down from the highlands with what scattered storms didn’t break up over the peak. More and more returning groups were reporting wolf sightings on their trips home, a handful of them more than slightly wary with how close they’d been to their routes.

It wouldn’t be unusual for them to be coming lower down the mountain, this time of the year, if it weren’t for the _numbers_ of them.

His unease hadn’t settled in the slightest over the last two weeks, instead joined by a sour rock sinking slowly into his ribs.

Duin shifted, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to ease some of the stiffness that had settled in, to distract himself from the _worry_ pricking down his spine. A group being a day late to return was nothing to blink at, wasn’t even worth _mentioning_ until they had been gone an extra week, but this…

Something didn’t feel right about this.

Kiavo had called him _anxious_ when he’d relieved him the night before, had said he paid too much mind to superstition, joked as he handed over the lantern that he’d always been _soft_ when it came to his friend. Duin liked to think he had just seen enough people off to know when to trust his instincts.

That didn’t mean he could _do_ anything about it, when they were right.

He grit his teeth.

It would be _fine_.

There was a shift behind him, in one of the supply alcoves. More weight put on a barrel than it could take without moving, a quiet curse.

Clumsier than they usually were, but he wouldn’t hold it against them. The company was welcome, if quiet, staving off some of the tension he had felt building over the last days.

Or, it would be, if they hadn’t been out here for nearly six hours, the worry radiating off them more and more heavily as the sunset glowed pink-orange through the valley, no doubt curling tighter into themself the longer they hid. It would only take a word from him, a simple look over his shoulder, even, to send them scurrying back into the complex, their presence not nearly as unknown as they thought.

But the idea of making still battered and bruised Jun more fearful of him just to get them inside and away sent the stone souring further.

He adjusted the grip on his sword, scanning the horizon for movement not kicked up by the desert wind, lips pursing when _still_ there was nothing.

The idea that Hirei had simply decided to hold them up by searching for yet _another_ of the irritatingly misshapen wooden figurines he was so fond of brought some small amount of comfort, but it barely flickered in the face of the possibilities he was trying not to pay any mind to.

It should have been easier than it was, to ignore them.

The torches had been lit by the time he heard the faint whispering behind him, the lantern at his feet casting flickering shadows over the frogs, their veils fluttering lightly. He didn’t need to turn to know Jun had been beckoned inside again, but still he caught sagging shoulders and bandaged arms ducking quietly through the stone doorway.

Alone again with his worry, then.

Duin sucked in a breath, counting down before letting it out again.

They would be back by morning, and he could chew out his friend for his poor taste in decorations then.

It would be fine.

The moon was red as it passed over the valley, met with a starless sky.

Something cloying and unpleasant had settled itself in his throat, restless despite himself, squeezing the grip of his sword over and over, the only outward sign of his discomfort he would allow.

His relief would come soon enough, as the moon reached its peak. He would be able to stave off the worst of it with sleep, if it would come.

The last time he had felt this way…

Better to leave that thought for after they had returned, when he could confirm in short order that the moron hadn’t wound up half dead all over again, when he could take stock of any new injuries hiding among the old.

Just a few more hours of waiting out here, and then surely he’d be woken in the middle of the night by complaints of him not being there to welcome him back.

Surely.

* * *

The lizalfos were squawking loudly, somewhere out in the desert, their calls echoing off the rocks and joining in with those of the bokoblins shouting in the highlands. He _hated_ that he could still picture the bones scuttling back together in preparation for the moon’s light, moving even before the sinews and flesh had knitted themselves back together into some bastardization of new life.

He could be grateful it didn’t seem to affect humans, though, no matter how… _useful_ something so unnatural could be.

No matter how useful the Master and Commander might think it for the clan.

Another torch sent more light flickering over what sand the wind had carried into the entrance, Kiavo coming to a stop next to him, silently scanning the horizon as Duin sighed. “Loud tonight.”  
  


He closed his eyes, briefly, fingers shifting on his blade before finally sheathing it. “They always are.” There was a shrug in response, the torch held out for him. He would need to summarize what the returns told him, still, if he could muddle through the thick fog of worry that had settled itself at the back of his mind all over again.

Kiavo was giving him an odd look, though, as he finally took the torch, hesitating more than a moment before he finally turned away from the red glowing pass. The sour rock was twisting, turning itself over and over in his ribs as he made his way more slowly than he needed to toward the stairs.

They would be back by-

There was a fizz, a pop, the sound of a heavy pack hitting dusty earth, the scent of spices blowing stronger in from the open rock.

He wished he could say he was able to keep the facade of calm when he turned, instead spinning so quickly the torch nearly collided with the wall, prepared to scold them for teleporting so near to the entrance, the worry that had been building for a what felt like a small eternity pushed out and away instead by a sudden rush of relief-

There was only one figure, leaning on the wall nearer to Kiavo for support, sagging and one hand clutching their side, too small to be-

The worry crashed back in, something like desperation mixing with it, the rock heavier than it ever had been. His limbs felt like they were blurring at the edges as he made quick strides back to the opening, torch held high, not waiting to parse whatever report Lila was giving.

“What happened?” Her mask was chipped and cracked, dried blood obscuring the painted eye, one shoulder of her armor shredded beyond repair. Distantly, he registered Kiavo saying his name, tone sharp.

She turned, sluggish, arm shaking as it supported her, blood still oozing from the slash at her side. His patience was wearing thin, the rock turning sharp and a growl building before she finally drew in a ragged breath. “More resistance than we expected.” The words sounded painful, the result of a shattered rib, a blow to the throat, maybe, dry and wet all at once.

  
There was a roaring in his ears as he grabbed her shoulder, tighter than intended, than needed, ignoring her hiss of pain. “ _Where is Hirei?_ ” His name again, louder this time, the scrape of nails against rock.

“Picked a fight he couldn’t win.” She croaked.

His blood ran cold, ice pushing itself into his lungs.

Impossible.

Hirei had survived worse than a handful of Gerudo guards, already out of their element in the plains, before.

He was injured, maybe. Would be slow to get back.

She was young, had panicked at seeing him go down.

He wasn’t-

“ _Duin_!”

There was a hand, tight at his wrist, wrenching him violently from his thoughts. “You’re _off duty_.” Kiavo hissed, closer than he had been. Were his hands shaking as badly as they felt? “Either escort her to the medic or _leave_.”

“The Commander will want to see me right away.”

Kiavo’s jaw _clicked_ as it shut, held tight as he looked at her, assessing just how _bad_ of an idea that was before finally dropping Duin’s wrist with a frustrated noise. “ _Fine_. Help her to the Commander’s quarters, then.”

It took more effort than it should have to nod, finally. To reach for and maneuver her away from the wall to hold her tight at the elbow, her groan as the movement jostled various injuries going unnoticed. Everything was far away and far too close at once as he pulled her through the complex, silent except for the crackling of torches and the fall of their steps.

She was incorrect.

She must be.

He barely registered the Commander’s rage at being woken morphing instantly into pleasant surprise at the sight of Lila, immediately beckoning her in while waving Duin away, a brief ‘ _no guard is necessary at such an hour_ ’ tossed his way before the heavy doors slammed shut.

His hands weren’t shaking, despite feeling even more like it than they had at the entrance.

He was grateful.

He needed to return to his bunk before the tightness in his chest burst.

What a poor excuse of a Blademaster he was.

His lungs _burned_ by the time he made it to the room, walls spinning as he shoved the door closed, sheathed blade falling from his shoulders.

Hirei couldn’t be...

His mask clattered to the floor, knees all but collapsing from under him as he reached the bed, hands coming up to fist in his hair.

Ah.

They were shaking now.

He could almost hear the same tired question of _what happened_ as he did every time he came in in anything less than perfect shape, almost wished for the scarred hands to pull his own from his hair, to steady them, for the chapped lips to press warm at his fingers and temple.

A quiet, broken sound pulled itself from his throat, shoulders shuddering with the force of it. He should have stopped him from going, should have insisted it be another footsoldier, insisted it be himself-

He wished so desperately for his friend to be in front of him, biting his tongue against complaints of being _too rough_ with the bandages, glaring with his bad eye and still never moving away.

He should have convinced him to leave, a decade and a half ago, the moment he had curled, bitter and angry and _tired_ beyond either of their years, into Duin’s side after handing Jun off to be taught their ways.

He should have…

One hand slid down to cover his eyes, dampness soaking into the gloves he hadn’t bothered removing, struggling to drag in a shaking breath. He felt sick, the rock sinking further still.

Damn him for being a stubborn mule and damn himself for not trying harder despite it. Damn him for putting himself in unnecessary danger and damn him for-

His fist came down on the small shelf, the contents of it clattering to the floor as the aging wood collapsed under the force of it, a single wooden figurine spinning itself to a stop at his foot. He stared at it from behind his fingers, eyes swollen and vision blurred, swallowing against the tight lump in his throat as he leaned down to turn the figure over in his still-shaking hand.

Hirei’s bunk would be cleared by noon.

_Damn_ him for leaving them.

* * *

A gentle breeze ruffled the veils of the frogs, more sand kicking up onto the stone of the entrance.

His composure hadn’t waned at breakfast, hadn’t waned while he was sparring.

If it weren’t for the _look_ Kiavo had given him as he returned for his station, if it weren’t for the broken shelf and scavenged piles of things in his bunk, he could almost pretend it had been nothing but a simple dream.

Almost.

The clouds rolled overhead, the pennants clacking together with a heavy gust, thunder rolling in the distance.

Someone slipped on the stairs, groaning as they landed and something wooden going spinning across the ground behind him.

He closed his eyes.

“He isn’t coming back, Jun.”

They froze, staring wide eyed as he turned, still so fearful of him. 

Looking lost. 

“But he-”

Duin ducked his head, the only show of grief he would allow himself with an audience, turning back to the open mouth of the valley.

“Get inside, Jun.”

**Author's Note:**

> So! First posted fic in.... a decade? That's takin' some guts.
> 
> This piece is part of a larger story that may or may not eventually get more bits and pieces posted, so a handful of references are (currently) missing some context.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!


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